Warmhearted people in Ellesmere Port stepped up to the mark to help the town’s Salvation Army over the festive period.

The church and charity says it is ‘very keen’ to thank the community for all their backing as more support was needed than ever and local people really did respond.

Around 400 gifts were distributed to children who would have not otherwise had a present to open as part of The Salvation Army’s Christmas appeal.

Lt Louise Brown, church leader at The Salvation Army’s Ellesmere Port Corps, said: “This year we made some changes to our annual Christmas appeal which meant families were able to come in and choose their own gifts.

“It’s been wonderful to meet the families and it’s given us the opportunity to spend time understanding the cause of their poverty and signposting them to services who could help.

“We understand that finances can be tight for everyone at Christmas and are incredibly grateful to everyone in this community who donated to our appeal.

“Every toy, no matter how much it cost, went to a family who would have otherwise had nothing to open.

“This year it was such a privilege to meet nearly 50 of these families and I couldn’t fail to be touched by the experience. To be able to give their children a present they had chosen themselves clearly had a transformative effect in many cases.”

Businesses and organisations in the town worked together to collect toys for this year’s appeal which were distributed to some of the most vulnerable local families through a number of community organisations. These included social care providers, health visitors, children’s centres and shelters for young people experiencing homelessness.